UN High Commissioner for Refugees warns that operations for Sudanese refugees severely stretched

Press Releases, 4 July 2012

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said today that the situation for refugees fleeing Sudan's Blue Nile and South Kordofan states had become critical, with more than 200,000 people displaced into neighbouring South Sudan and Ethiopia and humanitarian efforts in South Sudan close to breaking point.

"The combination of difficult and dangerous conditions in South Sudan and the huge numbers of refugees arriving there mean our operations are severely stretched," Guterres said. "And people are still arriving every day, many of them malnourished, and including unaccompanied children in groups."

UNHCR field offices in Ethiopia and South Sudan say 211,700 refugees have so far arrived from Sudan's Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. 36,700 of these are in the Assosa region of Ethiopia. But the major pressure of this influx is on South Sudan, with 62,000 people in Unity State and 113,000 in Upper Nile State – most in remote areas lacking even basic infrastructure. Children and teenagers of up to 18 years account for 52 percent of the refugees in Assosa, 44 percent in Upper Nile State, and 65 percent in Unity State.

In South Sudan, water supply for this population has become acutely problematic, even with a new rainy season having recently begun. Much of the Jammam camp in Upper Nile State, for example, is in ankle deep water, yet the amount of water available for drinking and sanitation is still far below that needed. Boreholes have been dug there and in other camps, but many refugees still receive only a third or less of the minimum daily clean water supply. This heightens the health risks.

"The complexity of the Sudan crisis sets it apart," Guterres said. "We are contending with a situation in which many newly arriving refugees are already dangerously malnourished, the threat from water-borne disease is high, large refugee populations are in locations that are clearly dangerous, and flooded roads block access and the possibility of relocating people elsewhere – even where better sites can be found. More help is urgently needed."

UNHCR has appealed to governments and members of the public to help by donating additional funds for the Sudan refugee crisis. On 22 June the agency announced that its existing contributions had been exhausted and said its needs for Sudanese refugees in South Sudan and Ethiopia stood at US$219 million for 2012. Thus far it has received US$45.9 million.

Advocacy is a key element in UNHCR activities to protect people of concern.

Bonga Camp, Ethiopia

Bonga camp is located in the troubled Gambella region of western Ethiopia. But it remains untouched by the ethnic conflicts that have torn nearby Gambella town and Fugnido camp in the last year.

For Bonga's 17,000 Sudanese refugees, life goes on despite rumblings in the region. Refugee children continue with school and play while their parents make ends meet by supplementing UNHCR assistance with self-reliance projects.

Cultural life is not forgotten, with tribal ceremonies by the Uduk majority. Other ethnic communities  Shuluks, Nubas and Equatorians  are welcome too, judging by how well hundreds of newcomers have settled in after their transfer from Fugnido camp in late 2002.

Bonga Camp, Ethiopia

Southerners on the move before Sudanese vote

Ahead of South Sudan's landmark January 9, 2011 referendum on independence, tens of thousands of southern Sudanese in the North packed their belongings and made the long trek south. UNHCR set up way stations at key points along the route to provide food and shelter to the travellers during their arduous journey. Several reports of rapes and attacks on travellers reinforced the need for these reception centres, where women, children and people living with disabilities can spend the night. UNHCR has made contingency plans in the event of mass displacement after the vote, including the stockpiling of shelter and basic provisions for up to 50,000 people.

Southerners on the move before Sudanese vote

South Sudan: Preparing for Long-Awaited Returns

The signing of a peace agreement between the Sudanese government and the army of the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement on 9 January, 2005, ended 21 years of civil war and signaled a new era for southern Sudan. For some 4.5 million uprooted Sudanese – 500,000 refugees and 4 million internally displaced people – it means a chance to finally return home.

In preparation, UNHCR and partner agencies have undertaken, in various areas of South Sudan, the enormous task of starting to build some basic infrastructure and services which either were destroyed during the war or simply had never existed. Alongside other UN agencies and NGOs, UNHCR is also putting into place a wide range of programmes to help returnees re-establish their lives.

These programs include road construction, the building of schools and health facilities, as well as developing small income generation programmes to promote self-reliance.

South Sudan: Preparing for Long-Awaited Returns

South Sudan: Four Years On from Independence

In 2011 the people of South Sudan celebrated their independence. Four years later, the world's newest nation is one of the world's worst humanitarian situations. In December 2013, conflict erupted displacing 2 million people including more than 600,000 refugees. South Sudanese has fled to Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan. The crisis has especially impacted the next generation of South Sudanese, 70% of those displaced are children.

South Sudan Crisis: One Year On

Uganda: A Father's Troubles

Forty-five-year-old Gabriel fled South Sudan with his wife and children to find safety in the UN compound in Bor. But, in April 2014, his wife was killed when an armed mob forced their way in, and now he is a single father to five children, seeking a better life in Uganda.